


Trusting

by yoshizora



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-09
Updated: 2018-02-09
Packaged: 2019-03-16 00:03:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13624290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yoshizora/pseuds/yoshizora
Summary: Patroka needs to know.





	Trusting

**Author's Note:**

> lmao gettin my morag/patroka on before the patch and dlc even release
> 
> i know this is gonna be completely overturned in like a week but let me have this for now, pls

Blades are born with instinct, as common knowledge goes. All they have upon resonance are their name and the innate feeling to fight and fight alongside their Driver. It’s the way things work and nothing would ever change that.

Patroka knows this, and it infuriates her. The gaps left by the absence of memories is like an itch on her back that she can’t quite reach.

No one seems willing to scratch that itch, either. She still remembers the look on her Driver’s face upon her resonance down to the detail, eyes going wide and brows arching high, a mouth framed by soft lips slightly opening in surprise.

Her Driver wouldn’t tell her anything. The others with her wouldn’t, either. But Patroka _knew_ something was wrong right from the get-go— they treated her like she was made of sharp glass and the Nopon seemed downright scared of her. She’s caught a couple of them muttering something about finding Akhos, whoever that is, whenever they glance her way as well.

“We’ve fought before, on a few occasions,” was the only thing Mòrag was willing to say. “Someday, I’ll tell you the rest of it.”

“What’s the big deal? It’s not like I’d even remember any of it,” Patroka had said.

“You’re…” Mòrag had stared at her for a while then shook her head. “You still have the same look on your face.”

And that was that. All Patroka can do now is wait for that _someday_ to come.

She isn’t even sure why she needs to know about her previous incarnation so badly. Perhaps that’s just another part of that natural Blade instinct. Or maybe it’s just her.

 

* * *

 

“It just seems like a bit of a waste,” Zeke says over the table cramped with too many dishes, “for Mòrag to not even wield her.”

“I can fight just fine on my own,” Patroka scowls. She isn’t eating, just standing behind Mòrag with her arms crossed like some sort of menacing bodyguard, and that seems to make everyone somewhat on edge even though it’s been some time since her awakening. The Nopon is shoveling food into his mouth at an alarming rate; his Artificial Blade keeps reminding him not to choke and die. What were their names, again…? Well, whatever.

“Patroka is free to do as she likes,” Mòrag calmly says. 

“Besides, Lady Mòrag already has me,” Brighid says somewhat snidely, casting a glance at Patroka. Patroka wrinkles her nose at her.

“Yeah? If she’s free to do as she likes, why doesn’t she go off to stay in Garfont with all the other Blades we’ve bonded with?” Zeke says. “It’s kinda obvious she doesn’t like being dragged around with us.”

Patroka’s scowl hardens. “Don’t talk about me like I’m not even here, you trash.”

“See what I’m talking about?!” Zeke says, and he quickly puts a hand on Pandoria’s shoulder before she can leap to his defense.

Rex looks between everyone rather unhappily. “C’mon, guys, do we have to argue while we’re having dinner? If Mòrag wants to let Patroka fight by herself that’s their business, really.”

“I think it just…” Nia picks at her food. “It’s a _reminder._ That’s what you’re getting at, yeah, Shellhead?”

“Right.”

Patroka’s had enough. She smacks the back of Mòrag’s head for no real reason and quickly stalks off to the inn before Brighid can set her ablaze for that move.

Everyone goes silent.

“Lady Mòrag! Are you really going to let her walk away?!” Brighid’s furious, standing up already. Mòrag stands as well and adjusts her hat, her eyes hidden by the visor.

“She hasn’t changed much at all, has she?” Nia softly says.

“I’ll speak to her,” Mòrag sighs. “Alone.”

Brighid puts a hand over her Core Crystal in concern. “Lady Mòrag…”

“It’s alright, Brighid. Please, everyone, continue eating.”

 

* * *

 

Patroka angrily paces back and forth in the room she’s meant to be sharing with Mòrag and Brighid. She yanks at her hair in frustration and growls out loud. Even now, they won’t tell her anything. _Cowards._

There’s a knock at the door, and it opens. “Patroka.”

“What do you want.” She glares at Mòrag. “If it’s an apology, you won’t get one. I didn’t even hit you that hard, and I know you can take way more than that.”

Mòrag chuckles, to her annoyance. “Very true. I hardly even felt that tap you gave me.”

“I can hit you harder, if you want.”

“No, thank you.” Mòrag sits on one of the beds and pats the spot beside her, but Patroka doesn’t move. “… We’d agreed to wait until we found Akhos’ Core Crystal before telling you everything.”

“Well, could you at least tell me who the hell Akhos is?”

“He was your… ally,” Mòrag slowly says. “You fought alongside him against us.”

“Alright, see, that’s a start.” Patroka finally sits beside her. “Keep talking.”

But Mòrag is looking away now. There’s still a great deal of mixed feelings swirling within her over being the Driver of a former Torna member. She hadn’t even told Niall yet. How many Ardainian soldiers had lost their lives at the end of her polearm? The very same polearm Patroka now uses to fight by Mòrag’s side?

“Are you kidding me?!” Patroka suddenly shouts, grabbing Mòrag’s arm in an iron grip. “You’re still not going to spill the details?!”

“Patroka—“

“You’re my damn Driver! Take some responsibility, Mòrag!”

“—Do you think I did _not_ want to tell you?!” Mòrag wrenches her arm away with a startling fierceness that actually makes Patroka back off. “In spite of everything you’ve done in your previous life, you’re my Blade now! I realize that!”

They’ve both stood up without realizing it, now facing each other. Patroka’s hand twitches, aching to summon her weapon. For what reason, she can’t fathom, because the idea of actually hurting Mòrag—  _her Driver_ — goes against everything she’s feeling right now.

She can see some depth of pain behind Mòrag’s eyes, and she falters.

“I know we don’t have quite the ideal Driver-Blade relationship,” Mòrag says, her shoulders trembling. “But I fear that once you know everything, something will change.”

“You’re afraid I’ll become that person I used to be.”

She’s silent, but Patroka takes that as a yes.

“Heh… I must’ve been a real monster, then.”

“You were.”

Patroka’s fingers stop twitching and her hand goes still. She straightens up and takes a deep breath, staring hard at Mòrag. There’s still too much she doesn’t know, that she needs to know, but realizing that her Driver actually does care is…

It makes her feel kind of nauseous, but not in a really bad way.

“Perhaps… I’ve simply been hoping that we could become friends, before we reach that point,” Mòrag says, looking down at the floor.

Patroka groans. “Ugh, don’t say sappy things like that. Look, I’ll admit this much— of all the clowns in our little party, I’m glad it was you who ended up being my Driver. You’re not as bad as the rest of them, Mòrag.”

“That’s quite the compliment, coming from you.”

“Don’t get used to it. And don’t expect me to suddenly get all buddy-buddy with everyone else just because we had this little moment.”

“I appreciate your frankness, Patroka. Truly.”

Without thinking, she takes a step closer. Mòrag doesn’t react. “No matter what sorts of horrible things I eventually end up learning about my past self, I’ll still be stuck with you. _That_ won't change. So quit worrying so much. It pisses me off.” It sincerely does, because Mòrag is her Driver now whether she likes it or not.

She can’t say she doesn’t _dislike_ it.

But she can’t put exact words to the rest of her feelings, either.

“Hah… my apologies. Someday, I hope you can learn to trust me.”

Patroka rolls her eyes. “I already trust you, idiot.”

Then she knocks Mòrag’s hat off, roughly grabs the back of her head, and kisses her.

Patroka smirks when she feels Mòrag’s cry of surprise muffled against her lips and her fingers scrabbling along her arms, not quite grabbing her and not quite pushing her away either.

Still, she can’t quite put exact words to it, but this works just as well. She deepens the kiss, pulling Mòrag close against her body in a tight embrace. Her teeth nip against her lower lip when Mòrag makes some sort of clumsy attempt to kiss back. _She’s actually trying to kiss back._ Patroka’s only dimly aware of how dizzily her own head is spinning as she aggressively claims her Driver’s mouth with her tongue.

The door opens. Brighid gasps out loud. Patroka breaks off the kiss but doesn’t let go of Mòrag, even when she weakly tries to detach herself from Patroka. A string of saliva is still suspended between their lips, their breaths hot.

“B-Brighid—“ Mòrag pants, her cheeks a horrid shade of red.

But Brighid just cradles her face in one hand. “… I take it your talk went well, then.”

Patroka glowers at her. “Shut up and close the door.”

 

* * *

 

She allows Mòrag to begin wielding her polearm after that. Brighid’s obvious displeasure at having her whipswords swapped out for Patroka’s weapon is just an added bonus.

The others notice the way her affinity link with Mòrag blazes in the heat of battle and no longer look at her like she’s a coiled snake with bared fangs. Patroka can’t say she really appreciates everyone suddenly warming up to her, because _goddamn are Zeke and the Nopon annoying_ , but it’s not so awful overall and Mòrag doesn't carry that misplaced tension when she gazes at Patroka anymore. In fact, not that she'd ever care to say it out loud, but maybe she's happy for once.

Eventually they’ll find Akhos, she figures. Then once he’s awakened she’ll finally learn everything she needs to know about what had happened between them and the Aegis’s party. When that happens, she doesn't know what will change, but she knows she'll still be Mòrag's Blade and Mòrag will still be her Driver.

So for now, this is alright.


End file.
